Dear readers, we plan out for the recipes that we intend to shoot for a month in advance. This helps us in better planning, execution of ideas, making appropriate arrangements and sometimes tweaking our schedule to sneak in some recipes that would act as a prequel to our future recipes.

In Kannada, Bisi refers to hot, Bele means lentils and Bath refers to rice. So, Bisi Bele Bath translates to hot lentil rice. It’s a delicious one pot meal that you would find in every Kannadiga’s kitchen.

The process of gaining insight into the civilization of a particular region or state is incomplete if the research fails to incorporate subject of Food. I believe comprehending food can help us in unraveling some secrets of particular civilization.

Today we share a masala that originates from the coastal region of Malvan and coastal kitchens of Malvani folks. If you have salivated over the aromas and taste of Konkani recipes, then folks secret is out of the box. Let’s see how this magic blend is made.

Spices, to define them technically, are dried seeds, fruits, root, bark or vegetable substance that is used as a flavoring, thickening, and preserving agent. If I have to define them philosophically, they are the heart and soul of Indian cooking. They have always been an integral part of Indian culture and play an important role in enhancing the richness of this ancient civilization along with our music, art, clothes. You would find mention of spices in ancient Hindu scriptures like Rigveda. Spices have been part of Indian cuisine since time immemorial. Many of these spices like pepper, cloves, cinnamon originated in India, while others like star anise, sesame, saffron were introduced later as trades were setup, new kingdoms were established, older kingdoms destroyed.